Welfare of today’s chicken and that of the ‘Chicken of Tomorrow’

In 2015, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) blocked a planned agreement between producers, suppliers, and retailers aimed at improving the welfare of chickens: the ‘Chicken of Tomorrow’.

ACM’s study ‘Welfare of today's chicken and that of the 'Chicken of Tomorrow' reveals that, following ACM’s negative assessment in 2015, the different market participants launched their own initiatives. Today, more sustainable and animal-friendly chicken meat is offered in supermarkets than ever before, and this trend continues to develop in a positive direction. The faster-growing chicken breeds have practically disappeared from the shelves. Chicken welfare standards of the chicken meat sold in Dutch supermarkets are currently higher than the planned standards of the ‘Chicken of Tomorrow’. Furthermore, the market share of chicken meat with independent certification labels has almost doubled between 2014 and 2018.